Webster man makes waves about fees

WEBSTER — James W. Bazinet is making waves about Webster residents having to pay to use Memorial Beach, even though he said residents voted against beach fees at town meeting in October 2011.

"The veterans get in for free, Webster and Dudley. I'm a veteran. I get in free anyways. I'm fighting for the other people in town," Mr. Bazinet said. "Everybody I talk to, they feel like they are being taxed again. If we're paying out taxes in town, we should be able to use the beach for free."

At the annual town meeting Oct. 17, 2011, a citizens petition article was approved asking for the selectmen to charge out-of-town vehicles for parking at Memorial Beach, which overlooks Webster Lake. The article also indicated that Memorial Beach is "in said town which exempts residents of the Town of Webster from parking fees."

Mr. Bazinet, who said he has collected more than 100 signatures seeking the removal of a beach usage fee for residents, said the selectmen are going against town voters' wishes.

Mr. Bazinet said there are a lot of elderly residents in the town. "A lot of people can't really afford the fees, so they just say, 'I'm not paying that. I can't pay that,' " he said.

Currently, town residents are charged $35 annually for a sticker that is good at both Memorial Beach and the town's compost station, while seniors are charged $20. Additional household stickers are $1, while walk-ins can go on the beach for free.

Prior to that, Webster residents were being charged $5 for five years.

Nonresidents' vehicles are charged $150 and an additional $50 if they have a vehicle with a trailer.

Back in January 2012, Town Administrator John F. McAuliffe said the citizens petition, which technically asked the town to adopt a Massachusetts law concerning out-of-town fees, doesn't go as far as the petitioner thought.

In addition, Mr. McAuliffe told selectmen he doesn't think continuing to charge residents a fee conflicts with what was voted on in town meeting because the state law doesn't say anywhere that residents could be exempted from parking fees.

Deborah A. Keefe, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, made the motion to continue the fee for residents in January 2012 and strongly concurred with Mr. McAuliffe's assessment at that time and now.

"That was a nonbinding vote by the people of the town, but the Board of Selectmen has to look at the bottom line to see whether or not we can run the beach and the compost station," Ms. Keefe said. "Being a nonbinding vote, the Board of Selectmen has made the decision that we will continue with the $35 fee."

Ms. Keefe said Mr. Bazinet is not looking at what happens if the fees get eliminated. And, she said, that is the big issue here.

"If there is no money to support the staff that maintains the compost station, then that means that everyone who drops leaves and grass clippings at the compost station will have to hire someone to remove this from their property," Ms. Keefe said. "If the fee is eliminated, that means lifeguards are eliminated. Summer programs for the kids are eliminated and the arts and crafts program down there gets eliminated and protection of a lifeguard is eliminated because you can't just say the fees will be eliminated when there is no money to run the facilities."

On July 8, Mr. Bazinet was on the selectmen's agenda but wasn't pleased with the outcome of the discussion.

"Basically, they said the same there that they always say. Nothing. And they did nothing about it," Mr. Bazinet said. "I brought it (the October 2011 annual town meeting vote) to their attention and they were like, well, we're going to do it anyways, is pretty much what they are saying."

Mr. Bazinet said the fee is scaring people away from the beach.

"I was down there one day when it was close to 100 degrees. There, maybe, were 15 people there because nobody can really afford to get in," Mr. Bazinet said.

With signed petition in hand, Mr. Bazinet said he hopes to be back on the selectmen's agenda by the middle of the month.